Along Crabtree Creek, we saw a juxtaposition of bare trees and others still holding some colorful leaves.
At an abandoned bridge over the river, I photographed the patterns made by shadows, fence rails, and leaves, all from safely behind a barrier fence.
When I moved a few feet for a different composition, the sun ducked behind clouds. With the shadows gone, I felt this image was strengthened by a toned black and white treatment.
Ziva poked her head through the posts of a pedestrian bridge. I leaned over the top rail to get this perspective. Kids, don't try this at home.
Is she serenely contemplating the view, reflecting on reflections, or wishing she could get at some squirrels on the other side?
On the way home, I encountered a concept straight out of the sixties...Free Love combined with True Love yields Tree Love:
Permalink: http://jilcp.blogspot.com/2014/11/self-guided-greenway-tour.html
Your photos of Ziva remind me of these photos that depict a photographer "following" around a (much too gorgeous) girlfriend and seeing the world from her perspective (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2533090/Who-wouldnt-follow-round-world-Photographers-girlfriend-continues-lead-globe-captures-signature-pose-exotic-locations.html) only I like your photos a lot better. You manage to capture shots of Ziva when she looks most alert and fascinated and it is a joy to see her and to vicariously feel her fascination and joy with the world. Also, you capture a sort of magic on the Greenway...there is a charm and beauty to your photos that is unique and quite enjoyable.
ReplyDeleteOh, so ... did I mention I enjoyed the photos? LOL
DeleteI enjoyed the article you linked. I hope that some day I will have the opportunity to travel half as extensively as Osmann and Zakharova have managed to do! Meanwhile, I try to explore the world I can get to with some of the curiosity and enthusiasm that Ziva brings to life. Thank you so much for your comments!
DeleteDo you use special lenses when you use your iPhone to take photographs? Any special flash used?
ReplyDeleteI just use my iPhone 5s, with no attachments. No flash used. Having an extensive system of DSLR bodies, interchangeable lenses, flashes, etc., for when I want to have the flexibility and capability, I've not felt any urge to carry auxiliary lenses for a cell phone. I don't doubt that they can have their uses (I've seen some nice results on the net), and wouldn't be as much to carry as an SLR with just one lens, but so far...not my preference. I try to choose subject matter that will "frame up" nicely with the view of the iPhone.
DeleteI'm hoping for some free photography advise...how do you decide what to photograph? Like, I was out today looking at bridges with leaves on them and trees with pretty color, Fall leaves (and even a fallen tree/reflection in water shot) but I didn't feel inspired. But, when I look at your photos I see magic and art and inspiration (and yes, I'm hoping flattery gets me somewhere...) ... so, how do you know when something is photo-worthy?
ReplyDeleteMy advice is always free, and worth every penny plus interest (if there is any interest). Your question is not straightforward, but here's a stab at an answer. Assuming that I'm not on a photo job for a client (and in this case, photography wasn't even my primary aim, as I was out for some exercise and the simple pleasure of being outdoors with a dog), there are perhaps two general influences on my choice of subjects, and how I treat them. First would be if I've had some kind of a theme in mind. For example, there have been days that I set out to make images that characterize the ways that autumn affects the landscape where I live. On this day, though, having Ziva's interests and "timing" to take into account, and being limited to my iPhone, I tended to use my "abstract" approach. Whenever something caught my eye, I thought about what features were most unusual. Was it color juxtapositions or contrasts, the character of the light and what it was doing to textures, an unusual shaped natural object (does a tree or a leaf look like something else?), the flow and connection of lines in a scene (it helps to learn to see branches, shadows, reflections, etc. as diagonal lines, curved lines, lines connected to other lines...), or anything else of visual interest. And of course when Ziva (or any animate subject) is in the picture, I'm looking for expression, gesture, tie in with the surroundings.
DeleteAs for knowing whether something is photo-worthy, I often do not know! One thing I've taught myself is to try. Do not hesitate, shoot. Shoot first and question yourself later. I do have a lot of experience in photography, so I have some advantages in having a pretty good idea of what final product I can potentially get when something is in front of my camera.
Sometimes I am happy with my photos "straight out of the camera", but most of the shots posted on my blog and my website have benefited from some "massage" in the computer. In the case of the pictures in this post, I didn't do any of the kinds of things that people generally associate with Photoshop®, but I did use Adobe Lightroom to make the kinds of adjustments to exposure, contrast, and color that I would have done in the darkroom in the days of film. There are cell phone apps that allow you to do these things. I have a free app called Snapseed in my iPhone, which I highly recommend, and which is now available for Android as well. I prefer to work in Lightroom on a "real" computer, but to do things on the run, and be able to immediately send them, phone apps are great.
So, I don't know how much this is where you want to be, but flattery got you somewhere!